CM Bhajan Lal Hails Anscy, Harita, Tejaswin at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Three Indian athletes stepped onto the Asian Games 2026 podium on Sunday — and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was among the first voices from India's political establishment to salute them. The CM extended warm congratulations to Anscy Sojan for a silver in the women's long jump, Harita Bhadra for a bronze in the women's 200 metres, and Tejaswin Shankar for a bronze in the decathlon.
Posting in Hindi on X on 27 September 2026, Sharma wrote: 'ट्रैक और फील्ड पर आप सभी के शानदार प्रदर्शन ने आपकी मेहनत, लगन और दृढ़ संकल्प को दर्शाया है' — ('Your outstanding performances on the track and field have reflected your hard work, dedication, and firm resolve'). He added that their success was 'elevating the talent and capability of Indian athletics to new heights' and inspiring the country's young sporting talent to push forward.
Anscy, Harita, Tejaswin — three events, three medals
The three medalists represent the breadth of India's track-and-field ambitions. Anscy Sojan's silver in the women's long jump marks a continuation of her rise in the jumps discipline. Harita Bhadra's bronze in the women's 200 metres puts India back on the sprint podium at a continental level. And Tejaswin Shankar — already known for his high-jump pedigree — secured bronze in the gruelling, ten-discipline decathlon, underlining his evolution into one of the most versatile athletes in Indian sport.
India's long game in athletics and the Khelo India foundation
These medals do not arrive in a vacuum. India's national sports development push, anchored by the Khelo India programme launched in 2017, was designed precisely to identify and accelerate talent from grassroots level through to international competition. The results on the Asian Games track and field circuit reflect years of pipeline investment — coaches, competitive exposure, and infrastructure — rather than any single breakthrough moment.
State chief ministers routinely amplify such achievements, and Sharma's message fits a well-established pattern of political acknowledgement that reinforces public pride in sporting success. What it also signals, subtly, is the appetite at the state level to be associated with India's growing athletic credibility on the global stage.
Three podium finishes in one session of track and field. If Indian athletics is writing a new chapter, Sunday, 27 September 2026 added three clean sentences to it — and the country is watching to see how the story ends.